When Something Cries
by bookren
Summary: A When They Cry inspired story. Shiroki Mitsune moves to the fairly small town of Hoshigata-chou with her mother and father, hoping for a fresh start. As she meets new friends and even creates a club of her own, certain strange events unfold, and Mitsune finds out that this town hides deep secrets. Official Forum by me: /forum/WSC-Official-Forum/218448/
1. Sunday Sightseeing

Hoshigata-Chou P.D., August 8th, 2005

Incident Report N. XXXX

Location: Hoshigata-Chou, Street X, House N. X

Date/Time: August 6th, around 11 PM

Incident: Murder

Victim: Shiroki Tarou (43)

Cause of Death: Strangling with thick rope

Additional Details:

The victim lived with his wife, Shiroki Meiko (41), and his daughter, Shiroki Mitsune (17).

The person who found the body of the victim was XXX, a friend of the daughter, who knocked on the door. When no one answered, XXX looked through the window and saw the victim, immobile on the kitchen floor. XXX then proceeded to call the police.

When the police entered the house, there was no one but the victim. His wife was at work, with multiple witnesses to attest to the fact. The daughter, however, was supposed to be in the house at the time of the murder. Her whereabouts are still unknown.

Taking into consideration the daughter's disappearance, it raises suspicion on her. As such, Mitsune is currently the top suspect of the crime.

The hypothesis of suicide or accidental death was quickly discarded after investigating the victim's body. There were no external injuries, with exception of the neck, which had marks of approximately 3 cm width around the frontal area, forming a half-circle shape. This indicates that the rope was put around the victim's neck from behind, and then pulled on both ends, resulting in death by strangling. This particular method of death would be nearly impossible to perform on oneself, leading to the conclusion that this incident was a murder.

On the night of the crime, it was raining heavily, so there were many muddy puddles on the ground. Inside the victim's house (specifically from the entrance all the way to the kitchen), the floor was covered in mud. That mud is assumed to have come from the shoes of outsiders (or the daughter herself). They were stepped on and became blurry, making it impossible to identify the exact size or amount of footsteps.

The current theory is that the culprit left and entered the house multiple times to dispose of evidence, reasoned from the missing murder weapon (rope). This murder weapon was identified from the marks on the victim's body and fibers found on the clothes.

After questioning the neighbors, it was revealed that a car left from the direction of the victim's house. It could not have been the family car since it was with the wife. It's theorized that the daughter had an accomplice, with which she escaped after committing the murder. When asked for further details on the car, the neighbors responded by saying that, under the heavy rain, they were unable to identify it, and assumed it was the family car.

When the body was found, the front door of the house was locked, and no keys to the house were found. The parent's room, the storage room, and the daughter's room were all locked as well, and, again, no keys were found. There was nothing unusual in the parent's room or the storage room. However, things were messy and all over the place in the daughter's room. The window was agape in the rain, oddly, and many drawers were open, with their contents scattered on the floor as though someone was searching for something. No suspicious objects were found in the investigation.

Conclusion: After examining all of the details and characteristics of this unusual crime, we were unable to formulate a meaningful theory to explain the events. Considering the scarcity of evidence, this case is, as of the moment of writing, labeled "Unresolved".

* * *

 **June 19th**

I slowly opened my eyes... the sunlight peeking out of the curtains hit my face uncomfortably, causing my drowsiness to fade away.

I looked around my messy room. There were some boxes labeled "Mitsune" lying on the floor. One of them was opened, revealing a bunch of books of varied genres.

"I still have some stuff left to organize..."

I said it in a low voice, talking to myself as usual. After leaving my bed, I opened my desk drawer and checked my phone. The date was June 19th, a Sunday. It was around 8:30 AM, an early time for me to wake up on the weekends.

The aroma of my father's coffee penetrated my nostrils, which revealed to me that my parents were in the middle of making breakfast. I entered my new bathroom, that I still wasn't really used to, and brushed my teeth after washing my face. Feeling a little more refreshed, I went downstairs. Like I imagined, my parents were finishing setting up the table for breakfast. Before they could see me coming, I announced in a loud voice:

"Good morning!"

My parents turned around a bit surprised.

My mother responded with a "Good morning". My father gave his characteristic "Morning". I laughed a little, in a cheerful mood. Although the whole situation with the moving had put me down the last week, I felt unusually bright today. It seems my parents noticed that, and my father spoke:

"Come, let's have breakfast together."

I sat on the chair opposite to my parents. Taking a quick peek at the table, I noticed a variety of breakfast items, including coffee, milk, sugar, orange juice, cheese, bread, and others. It made me thankful for having parents like mine, who were always doing their best to give a good life to our family.

"So, what woke you up so early?" Mom asked, wondering what could've made her always lazy daughter wake up in time for breakfast on a Sunday.

"Nothing in particular." I answered while chewing on a loaf of bread with a slice of cheese on top. "I just felt like changing my habits a bit."

"I see. I think that's a good thing. Waking up early means you have more time to spend doing the things you want to do." Mom's voice was similar to her 'lecture voice', but there was some kindness in her tone.

"Y'know, I was thinking about going out today." I stated my idea. "To get to know the town and all."

"You're going to do something? Or will you just wander about?" Dad said in a way that would be considered rude by most people, but I had learned that it was just his own way of showing consideration.

"I don't really know anything about the town yet, so I can't do anything by myself." I spoke honestly. Like Dad said, I was probably just going to look around aimlessly.

"I see." His curt response was equivalent to an "okay". Now, I just needed Mom's approval. Knowing her, she'd be more than glad to see me actually get out of the house, considering the shut-in attitude I had back then.

"If you're going to leave, be back by lunch." Mom agreed, with this one simple condition, which I didn't mind.

"Back by lunch, got it!" I said in a bubbly manner.

Finishing my breakfast quickly, I returned to my room. I took a shower, changed into summer clothes, and took another look at my phone. It was almost 9:30, so I'd have around 2 hours to go on my little "exploration".

I stopped a bit, as though waiting for some message from my friends...

But... no message came.

I stuffed my cell phone in one of my pockets, and for the third time only today, I used the stairs. For just an instant, I felt a slight annoyance at my room's placement in the house, but I quickly forgot about that after reaching the bottom of the stairs.

My father was washing the dishes, and Mom wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"I'm leaving. See you guys at lunch." I told Dad.

"Uh-huh." He just nodded and agreed.

After opening the door, I was blasted with even stronger sunlight than the one that woke me up. However, unlike that one, this light felt pleasant and warm.

Our house was located at the end of an alley. It felt slightly unsafe since not a lot of people would be around if anything were to happen, but that was a minor concern.

I walked along the stone-paved road that only covered part of the soil until I reached an asphalt street. It seemed to extend really far, probably being the main street in town. Along this street, there were a bunch of shops and stores. I could see an ice cream parlor, a restaurant, a small supermarket, and other convenient stuff.

However, the building that really caught my attention was one down the street, with a sign saying "Library". Being the avid reader I was, a library was an essential part of my everyday life, so I was glad I could have access to new books here. Just out of curiosity, I headed there and entered the library. It was only about half as big as the city's library, but it was good enough for me. I saw a few books I was interested in, so I stared around for a bit. Eventually, a boy around my age approached me and started talking.

"Do you like this series?" He seemed to have taken an interest in my tastes. Honestly, I thought he was being a tiny bit nosy, but I didn't want to scare off the first person to talk to me.

"Yeah, I like mystery and crime novels. They're nice brain exercise." Getting over my unfriendliness, I answered in an animated tone.

"I think so too! Have you read the classics?"

"Some of them. I like the famous ones, but I also like reading some modern stuff. It's fun seeing what tricks the authors come up with."

"I get what you mean! When you think nothing can surprise you anymore: bam! Something completely unique! It's always fun when that happens."

I giggled at the way he moved his arms in a comical manner.

"So, uh, are you new around here?"

"Yeah, I moved from Shirogane-shi. It's still only my second day in town."

"Oh! I was asking if you were new in the library." He seemed to be taken aback. I guess he wasn't expecting this response. "So that means you don't know much about the places 'round here, huh?"

We both stood there sharing a slightly awkward moment.

Breaking the silence, I spoke:

"My name is Mitsune. Nice to meet you!" I said this having noticed we still hadn't introduced ourselves. He followed suit:

"Nice meeting you. I'm Hisashi." His introduction was energetic. In fact, his entire personality seemed like that. "So, you still don't have a library card, I imagine."

"Yeah. It'd be nice to get one, but I don't think I really have the time."

"Why not? Do you have something to do?"

"I gotta be home by lunch." I told him rather plainly.

He took his phone out of his pocket, looked at it and started talking:

"It's still at ten o'clock. Filling out the papers should take at most an hour. If you really want to, you can do it now. While you do it, I'll be borrowing a book I like."

"You know, I think I'll do that." After saying this, I looked at the counter. I saw two people there. One of them was using a computer, and the other was fiddling on his phone, looking bored.

I talked to the one on the phone and requested the forms to get myself a library card. He went to the back and brought a few papers with information for me to fill out. It was all the usual stuff, so I filled it quickly. I didn't know my own address for certain (which was laughable, honestly), and I had to ask for help, but other than that it went smoothly.

When I finished it, I handed the paper to him, and he spoke:

"Your card should be finished in a few days. You can come to pick it up on the 22nd. That would be Wednesday." His voice was tired. I suppose not a lot of people visit a library like this, especially in a small town.

"Thank you." After saying that, I turned around and I saw Hisashi sitting on a chair, reading the book he said he would borrow. I waved at him, but he was so absorbed in his reading that he didn't notice it.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, you're finished? That was even quicker than I expected. So, when are you going to get your card?"

"Wednesday. At least it's not too far from today."

"Yeah. So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll just look around some more."

"Well, I can show you the park! It's a short walk from here."

"Really? Then let's get going."

After I finished my sentence, Hisashi took out a bookmark from his pocket, placed it in the page of the book and closed it, putting the book under his arm.

"We just go down this street, and we'll be there in five minutes."

We were back to walking on that asphalt street. It really did seem to be the main street in town, lining up stores and relatively tall buildings. All of the houses were located in alleys similar to my house's, with some exceptions here and there. While walking, I checked the time: it was a quarter to eleven. This park would probably be the last place I'd get to see today.

I saw a big green space in the distance. Those were trees. It really was an amazing park. As we got closer to it, I could see dozens of people moving back and forth. It was by far the most crowded place in town I had been yet. I thought about the many parks in my old city. There were a bunch of them, but I never visited any of them.

"So, how's this?" Hisashi asked me.

"It's really nice." I responded while looking around, feeling the cool breeze.

I noticed that right beside the park, there was a tall, large building. It was surrounded by a fence that would be easy to climb. There were letters engraved right above the door: "Nikkou High School". It was a pretty generic name, but it somehow suited the ambiance.

"I think this is the school I'm going to transfer into." I mentioned it loud enough for Hisashi to hear.

"Really? I study there! I mean... almost every high school student in town does, but... Anyways, that's cool. What's your grade?"

"I'm a second year. What about you?"

"Me too! What a coincidence. We might even be in the same class."

"Yeah, that's a possibility." I wouldn't mind having at least one person I knew with me in a new school.

We sat on a big bench, discussing stuff about the school and the town. He told me that the town had just recently reached a population of twenty thousand, which was still little compared to some other cities. He also explained that the town's name was given due to the unusually high rate of shooting stars that could be seen from the town's well-known Hoshiyama Peak. As time just passed without us realizing, it got closer and closer to noon. When I looked around, I saw that most people were leaving, and the park was quickly getting deserted.

"Everyone's going home." I said to Hisashi.

He checked the time using his phone.

"Oh, it's already noon! Time really flew by."

"I should be getting home."

"Me too."

"By the way, I noticed you have a phone. We could exchange numbers, just to be in contact with each other."

"That's a good idea."

I gave him my number, and he gave me his. He was officially the first friend I made in this new town. I was pretty happy with myself for managing to talk to a boy without weirding him out.

"So, I'll go home now. I'll send you a message later!" I spoke while getting up from the bench.

"Got it." He rose from it as well, and we waved our hands as we went our separate ways.

After going back the way we came, I passed by the library from earlier and entered my house's alley. Since it was lunchtime, the houses all seemed to be filled with the scent of delicious food. I knocked on the door before entering, to announce my arrival. The table was already set, and both Mom and Dad had already sat down. I was hungry after walking back and forth, but I really needed to shower. I was sweaty and tired.

"I'll go take a shower really quick. You can start eating without me."

"Don't take too long!" Mom shouted while I was climbing the stairs.

I showered quickly and rushed to have lunch with my parents. When I sat on the chair, both of them were almost done eating. Did I really take so long showering?

While I ate, Mom started talking to me.

"Did you do something interesting?"

"I met a boy, and we talked about the town and stuff."

"Oh, really? What was his name?" Mom said it in a teasing way.

"Hisashi. I met him in the library across the street. Oh, and I also signed some papers, and I'm getting myself a library card. Have to pick it up this Wednesday."

"Wow, you had a busy morning, huh? I'm proud of you. People your age should be going out and making friends."

"I know. Tomorrow, at school, I'm going to make lots of friends." Or, at least, I'll try. No more locking myself in my room every day.

We talked some more about my morning, as I excitedly told her the things I saw.

After our conversation ended, I went back to my room. I saw the boxes still there. I wanted to rest this afternoon, but I knew that if I were to rest even a bit, I wouldn't want to clean my room, even though Mom told me to yesterday.

Tired, I opened the boxes and put its contents on the floor. I then separated them by type. Books, clothes, personal possessions, and all sorts of things I brought with me. It took me a while to find a place for everything, but I managed to do it somehow. Finally, I was allowed to rest. I lied down on the bed. Suddenly, my phone beeped with my favorite ringtone. It was a message from Hisashi.

"What's up?" – It was just these two words. Personally, I would never start a conversation like that, not even by phone. Then again, my "politeness" might be what made me unable to make lasting friends. After thinking about all this stuff, I decided to type back.

"Just finished cleaning my room. And you?"

"I was reading that book. Should've been finishing my homework, though."

"What sort of homework is it? Maybe I can help you."

"It's a math homework. Something about equations. Wouldn't want to bother you with that."

"Do you not like math?"

"I don't dislike it. But I honestly prefer physics. Astronomy, to be even more exact."

"I see. Well, I guess I like all subjects in their own way."

"Don't you have something you like even more than normal?"

"Maybe biology and things like that. I'd like being a doctor when I grow up."

"That's a difficult dream, but with enough studying, I'm sure you can do it."

"Yeah. Changing subject a bit, which class are you in? At school, I mean."

"Class 2-C. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to check. I'll ask my mom later which class I'm in."

"Cool. By the way, do you already have something planned for tomorrow after school?"

"Not really."

"Then we can see some more of the town. There's a cafe I always go to, and I could show you the place. The coffee there is really good."

"I'd be glad to go."

"Then it's settled. I guess I'll go do my homework."

"Sure. Talk to you later."

That was the last message we sent. I checked the time. It was almost two in the afternoon. I could rest for a few hours like I planned to. And so, I put my head on the pillow, closed my eyes, and slept. I had a dream where I was surrounded by friends, admired by everyone in the class. They all laughed at my jokes, and everyone talked to me like a close friend. It was an amazing dream.

When I woke up, it was already five thirty. The bright sun had been replaced by a soft rain. It was a bit chilly, even inside the house. I left my room and went downstairs. Dad was watching TV while Mom organized some papers on the dining room table. I sat on a chair across from Mom.

"Hi. Were you sleeping?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. I was kinda tired after this morning."

"Are you thirsty? I could ask your dad to make some tea."

"I'm fine, thanks. I just wanted to ask one thing."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember the class I'm in?"

"Umm... it was... Class C, I think. Nikkou High School. I heard good things about it."

"Class C?"

"Yeah. I'm fairly certain the lady I talked to said you would join Class C."

"Thanks!" I was excited. Luckily, I had been placed in the same class as Hisashi. That alone made things a hundred times easier.

After ending the ending the conversation, Mom returned to her document organizing. It seemed to be something important, so I felt a tinge of regret at bothering her just to ask this.

I sat on the sofa beside Dad. He was watching some sort of cooking show, and focusing intently on everything the chef said and did.

"So you have to cut the pork like this? Oh, I didn't know you could add this to the sauce! Those onions really do look beautiful..." He was talking to himself in a way very similar to how I did. Maybe that's where I got it from.

After at least ten minutes of me sitting there, he noticed and spoke:

"Oh, hi. Do you want something? Want me to change the channel?"

"No, no. I was just passing time here. There's not much to do in this rain."

"Okay." He was happy that he could continue watching his program in peace. Truthfully, I did want to change the channel, but doing it when Dad was already here before me would be super rude. Instead, I just forced myself to watch the chef's master cooking tips, even though my cooking skills were almost zero.

Eventually, Dad stood up and went to the kitchen. He would probably make dinner now. Unusually, he was always the one to cook at home.

I wondered what today's dinner would be, and changed the channel to some sort of game show program.

After eating dinner, I went back to my room and prepared myself mentally for the next day. I already had plans with Hisashi, but that wouldn't stop me from feeling anxious. Would I truly be able to make new friends there like I hoped? It all depended on me. As the sound of the rain softly hitting the window continued, I closed my eyes, letting myself enter the realm of sleep.


	2. Afterschool Club

****June 20th****

My phone's alarm went off to the time I set it, six and thirty. Although I felt like I wouldn't be able to get much sleep because of my anxiety the previous day, I felt refreshed and confident. Would this confidence turn out to be just a bluff, though?

I showered, brushed my teeth, changed into my "school clothes", which were just a skirt and a generic school shirt, both dark blue. I tied my black shoes. I brushed my light brown hair, which went just a little bit beyond my elbows. I didn't consider myself a particularly pretty person, but I did my best to at least leave a good impression on my classmates.

I opened my backpack and stuffed inside some school items by parents had bought me. I also put inside my diary, in which I wrote my feelings. It was at that moment that I noticed that I hadn't written anything in my diary since moving in. I thought about writing something after school, but I already had plans.

After getting ready, I went downstairs to have my usual breakfast with Mom and Dad. By the time I got down, I saw Mom already ready to leave for work. She noticed me and spoke:

"I'm leaving for work! Good luck in your new school!" She said it in a bit of a rushed voice, but I could understand. Her work was very tiresome, and she usually stayed many days without coming home, but it was what essentially sustained our above-average lifestyle.

I sat and had a quick breakfast with Dad. He had a reserved personality, and only really spoke if someone else started the conversation. I didn't really feel like talking with him, so we both just ate in silence. After I finished eating, I placed the dishes in the sink for Dad. I rushed upstairs and brushed my teeth again. After I came back down, Dad gave me a paper. It had a bunch of information regarding the school, like directions on how to get there, my class, my teacher and other things.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Good luck." Dad said with a slight smile.

I gave Dad a hug before leaving. Our mornings were always a bit fast-paced, but we were all used to it.

I didn't really need the paper Dad had given me since Hisashi had shown the way to school yesterday, but I still felt like it would be important to take it with me. As I walked to school, I felt the harsh sun hitting my whole body. It was a sign of the starting summer. Around me were people going to work and younger children going to elementary and middle school. Every once in a while, I saw some older kids wearing uniforms very similar to mine, and going the same way as I, so I imagined they were also going to Nikkou. For some reason, the walk from home to school felt longer than it had the day before. As soon as I saw the lustrous green leaves of the park's trees, I knew I was getting close. The breeze felt cooler under the foliage.

I had left even earlier than usual, so, when I arrived, the gate still hadn't opened. There were at least a hundred or so students chatting and walking about, enjoying the scenery. I looked for Hisashi, but I couldn't really find him anywhere. Had he still not arrived, I wondered? As my gaze traversed the place, I heard the sound of a loud school siren, signaling the opening of the school gates. Everyone stood up and started walking toward the school. Without being told to, they formed two lines, one with the boys, and one with the girls. I entered the girls' line. The students entered in pairs of one boy and one girl. It was a bit unusual, but there wasn't anything particularly weird about it.

After I entered the school, I wandered for a few minutes, until I saw a few teachers having a conversation and pointing at me. When their conversation ended, one of them came to talk to me. It was an older woman, with beautiful long black hair.

"Are you Shiroki Mitsune?"

"Yes. I'm the student that's transferring into Class 2-C."

"We were waiting for your arrival. Come with me, please."

As I followed the woman, the other teachers dispersed. The school was fairly large, and we walked through many corridors until reaching our destination. It was the Teacher's Lounge. She entered it and urged me to do so as well. Once inside, she introduced herself.

"I'm Yamada Akiko. I'm the homeroom teacher for Class 2-C, and therefore, I'm your homeroom teacher. I'm pleased to meet you." I responded with a greeting. I didn't think it would be necessary to state my name since I had already done so.

"I will be your biology teacher as well, so feel free to ask me about it." She had a bit of a motherly feel to her, which, honestly, was a bit overbearing, but I kept that to myself.

"I'll do just that." I responded in an animated voice.

"I brought you to the Teacher's Lounge because there are a few papers I need you to sign." As she said that, she showed me some contract-like papers. Skimming through it quickly, it seemed to be something about following the school rules and obeying the school's "moral practices". I couldn't really refuse to sign them, so I took a pen and tried making my best signature.

"Okay. I also have to give you these notices." Again, she gave a few papers. These were papers listing what, exactly, were the school's rules and moral practices. It felt a bit backward being given this only after signing a document agreeing to them. There were also other useful things, like a map of the school made in a cartoon-esque style and a calendar of the school's activities. "I'll show you the way to your classroom. When we get there, you have to introduce yourself to the class, so think about what you'll say."

Going through another set of school corridors, and going up the stairs to the upper floor, we eventually arrived there. Right above the sliding doors, there was a plaque with "2-C" written on it. The teacher stopped and signaled for me to enter first. I slid the door and walked into the classroom. I could instantly feel dozens of curious gazes staring straight at me, trying to figure out what sort of person I was. Although this only really lasted for a few seconds, it certainly felt like an eternity. The teacher entered after me, at which point everyone in class stood up.

"This is the new transfer student. She is now going to introduce herself. I ask that you all be considerate and listen to her words."

Obviously, that was the moment when I had to open my mouth and do my introduction, but I was stunned for a moment, and it caused a bit of awkward silence before I actually said anything.

"Hello! My name is Shiroki Mitsune. I am 17 years old. I moved to Hoshigata-chou, and I lived in Shirogane-shi. I'm really happy to be here, and I hope we can all become great friends!" I tried bowing politely, but I could only muster a strange bow-like motion. Although I was a bit clueless in social situations, it didn't take a genius to figure out I had left a bad impression.

When I finished bowing, I looked around the classroom for an open seat, and I happened to see Hisashi sitting in the first row. There was an open seat right behind him, which felt very unusual. I went and sat there. After that, the class continued like normal, but I could hear people chatting behind me. They said scornful and mocking things about me. I pretended not to hear, but it hurt. Hisashi turned around and noticed my sad expression, and tried comforting me a bit.

"I know you tried hard, so I won't judge you." Though his words were supposed to make me happier, they only made me more ashamed, since it meant even he noticed my awful introduction.

"It's alright... I'm the worst at this." I said in a self-deprecating manner.

"The worst at what?" He asked me genuinely.

"Making friends."

"I don't think that's true." He said in a determined manner. I could sense he really did mean that. "I don't know you for a long time, but I know you're a nice person. I could tell from our conversations yesterday."

"Thanks. Seriously." I said, forcing a smile. As he said, he barely knew me. However, he really did think of me as a good person, and that made me want to try. After all the time I spent wanting to change my life, I couldn't give up just because of one failure. The teacher noticed our conversation and scolded the two of us. That only made me look even more pathetic, and I even dragged Hisashi into this. Still, I was happy at his words.

As the day unfolded, Hisashi turned around every so often to talk to me about this and that, and that brightened my mood. Because of our chats, the day passed by quicker, and I eventually forgot about the whole introduction fiasco.

"And that's all for today. Don't forget to study the circulatory system! It'll be on the test. Arteries, veins, capillaries. Remember the differences between the three and you'll do fine." Teacher Akiko said that as the school siren rang. It was noon, so school was over.

"Are you going home now?" Hisashi asked me as he put the stuff on his desk inside his backpack.

"Yeah. I'm going to have lunch with my father."

"When do you think you'll have finished?"

"Probably by one o'clock. Maybe even sooner."

"Then, we can meet up here at the park at one thirty."

"Okay. See you later." After we ended our quick conversation, we left the class together and walked together to the school gates. I followed Hisashi since I didn't know my way around the school.

If we were to consider the school's gate to be facing north, my house would be to the east, while Hisashi's house was to the west. That meant that we split up right after leaving school. Since it was about noon, the sun was somehow even worse than earlier. I thought about asking my parents for a bike. Though walking to school and back wasn't really very far or time-consuming, the summer heat was seriously not something to be trifled with.

When I got home, I opened the door and practically threw myself at the couch facing the TV. I was just that tired.

"Is something wrong?" Dad asked.

"Not really. I'm just really tired. This heat is unbelievable."

"You could buy a parasol."

"That's..." It wasn't an impossibility, but it just felt so strange. A parasol? Who even uses something like that this day and age? Only middle-aged ladies would do something like that. Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, I exclaimed my thought. "If I had a bike, the sun wouldn't really be such a big problem."

"Do you want a bike?"

"I wouldn't mind having one." I didn't want to admit it so straightforwardly, but Dad was right.

"I'll talk to your mother about it. Don't expect it, though." He said just that and finished setting the lunch table for two. I sat down and started chowing down on Dad's delicious food. Since Mom wasn't here to complain about my manners, I spoke even with my mouth full.

"I'm hanging out with a friend today. I think we're going to a cafe or something like that."

"Do you like coffee that much?" Dad asked me, knowing I only really drank coffee for breakfast, and only when there weren't other options.

"Cafes don't serve only coffee, you know. I'll probably get myself some juice."

"I'll hand you some money."

"Thanks." After explaining the situation, I went back to eating.

Once lunch was over, I offered to wash the dishes as a means of thanking Dad. It took me not too long. I checked my phone, which I always carried with me. It was still one o'clock. I had thirty minutes to shower really quickly. I got myself ready, and I still had fifteen minutes left. Dad had given me enough money to buy myself juice and even something extra. Maybe a slice of cake? Or would that be too much sugar? Dad had already gone to his room to have his afternoon nap. He really was an old man. I took my keys with me and locked the house.

As a means of countering the sun, I had taken Mom's sunscreen and applied it to all of my showing skin. The shower I had taken also contributed. I had already noticed before, but even the air in this place was different from the city's. It was cleaner and it felt easier to breathe. I saw a few buses coming from the direction of the park and I wondered how far this main street went. The layout of the town itself was a bit odd upon further inspection. It was shaped like a tree, with one big trunk and a mix of small branches and big branches. As I thought about things that I was interested in, I eventually reached the park. Hisashi had told me the name of the park, but it slipped my mind. I saw Hisashi with the same book from yesterday. I guess he still hasn't finished it.

"Yo!" Hisashi spoke in a casual manner. It really did feel like we had already become friends in such a short time.

"Hi"

"So, you want to see some more of the town?"

"Yeah. This park is probably my favorite place yet." It seemed like Hisashi wanted to say something, but he couldn't choose the right words.

"This place is probably the best place here." After taking a bit of time to select his words, what came out was surprisingly blunt.

"Oh. Well, there's still Hoshiyama Peak."

"Yeah. Though, right now, there's probably nothing interesting to see there. It only really gets visitors around summer break. There's a festival there where people make their wishes and hope for a shooting star. It's a cool event, but it's a once-a-year sort of thing."

"When we get into the summer break, I'll definitely go to this festival."

"That's still a bit far away..."

I sat down near a pond surrounded by small pebbles. I saw my reflection there. Hisashi came up behind me and looked into the water as well. I could see his short hair fluttering because of the wind. The water was a bit tumultuous, so our reflections were twisted, but it was still really beautiful, like something out of a painting.

"So, where's the cafe you were talking about?"

"It's in the direction of my house. Let's go." We crossed the entire park and reached the other side of it, where the main asphalt street continued. After some more walking, we eventually reached a crossroads that formed a plus sign. In one of the corners was the cafe Hisashi was talking about.

"It's this cafe. Gateau Cafe, actually."

In this cafe, there were round wooden tables with round wooden chairs like a bar. Although it was not too long after lunch, there were an unusual amount of people there. It really did seem to be a famous place around here. We sat around one of the tables. There was a menu on the table, so I picked it up and read it. Like any other cafes, there were a bunch of coffee options, along with things like cocoa, tea and fruit juices. There were even milkshake options, which surprised me.

When I looked around, I saw a boy around our age sitting by himself in one of the tables. He was reading a book. It seemed like he still hadn't ordered anything.

"Do you know that boy over there? He seems kinda familiar." I said it to Hisashi.

"He's Makoto. He's from our class as well. He's a really quiet boy. I don't think I've ever seen him talk with anyone for more than a few minutes."

"Why don't we invite him to join us?"

"Huh" - Hisashi was surprised by my sudden proposal.

"I mean, we both are kind of loners, so why not invite a third one?" I had noticed that other than me and the teacher, not a single person had come to talk with Hisashi today. It made me realize that he was, in fact, a loner, just like I used to be. "He also seems to like books, so that's something we all have in common. I don't see why we shouldn't call him to our table."

"Well... I... That's..." Hisashi seemed to be searching for an argument, but there wasn't really anything he could say that wouldn't boil down to 'I don't want to'. I stood up and went to the boy's table. He noticed me and opened his mouth. His words were so weak I could barely hear them.

"Do you need something?"

"Your name is Makoto, right"

"Yes." He showed a shocked expression for a second before returning to his poker face.

"You study at Nikkou, right? Class 2-C?"

"Yes... Wait, aren't you the transfer student?" He realized who I was. I already knew who he was, so we were on even footing.

"That's right. Shiroki Mitsune, glad to meet you." I redid my greeting, this time making sure to do it correctly.

"Nice to meet you. You can call me just Makoto." After that, he asked again. "Do you need something?"

"We were wondering if you'd like to join our table. We also like books and cafes."

"Are you sure?" He didn't seem to oppose the idea, but he wasn't really in favor of it either.

"Yeah. It's always fun making new friends." I said that cheerfully, hoping to entrance Makoto.

"If you insist..." He gave in easily and came to sit with me and Hisashi. Our table now had three people around it. Hisashi was honestly surprised.

"How can you fail at an introduction but talk normally to someone as quiet as Makoto?"

"I don't know." I answered with my true feelings.

"Are you guys going to order something?" Makoto asked rather timidly.

"I'd like some strawberry juice." I said.

"I like my coffee with some milk and sugar." Hisashi said, embarrassed for some reason.

"I'll get some iced tea."

Hisashi waved and a man came over. They seemed to already know each other. He did say he was a regular here, I guess...

"Get us one strawberry juice, one iced tea, and my usual coffee." The man wrote it down, nodded and left. Makoto was reading again, and Hisashi seemed to be thinking about something.

"So, what sort of book is it?" I asked aiming at Makoto.

"It's a romantic tragedy."

"I see." I didn't expect someone like him to enjoy those sorts of books.

"It's really sad. A man and a woman like each other, but their families share a mutual hatred. With their love destined to perish as a result of their families, they devise a plot, but they both end up dying tragically..."

"Wait, isn't this that really famous book?"

"Which one?"

\- You know, that one, with the poison and all!

"I don't know what you're referring to."

"Forget it!" I was getting worked up over something so meaningless... Still, this was exciting. When was the last time I had a conversation like this?

"Just kidding. I know which one you're talking about. Still, this book is only inspired by that. It's not the same." He said laughing at my agitation.

"What are you two talking about?" Hisashi finally picked up on the conversation.

"Books." I answered.

"What sorts of books?"

"Romantic tragedies." Makoto was about to start it again.

"Don't fall for it!" I warned Hisashi.

"I really have no idea what you two are going on about..."

After our lively chat, the waiter arrived. One strawberry juice for me, Hisashi's coffee, and an iced tea for Makoto. We three talked about books, school, and other stuff. Makoto seemed to be the opposite of Hisashi's description. He was talkative and threw sarcastic jokes left and right. As we sipped our drinks (my strawberry juice was really great), I decided to start a conversation.

"You know, we could do this more often." I exclaimed.

"I agree." Makoto said. Though this was the first time we three had gotten together like this, it felt natural.

"Well, we need to have a name." Hisashi was in on it too.

"What sort of name?" Makoto wondered out loud.

"What about 'Nikkou Book Club'." It was a cheesy name, but it had a bit of a special charm, considering we were all the "weird" kids in class, so a "weird" name suits us well.

"That's not too bad." Makoto said.

"Still, for it to be a club, we need some more members." Hisashi was more serious.

"I'm sure there are more people like us at school. We just gotta find them." I was really starting to get into it.

"Alright! Our mission will be to find new members for the Nikkou Book Club." Hisashi said it like a leader would.

This really was fun. For the old me, hanging out with boys and creating a childish club like this would be unthinkable, but it was so exciting I didn't even mind those things.

"By the end of this week, we gotta have at least five members." I spoke, like a vice-leader. What does vice leader even sound like? Makoto laughed heartily. He also seemed to be enjoying himself.

"How about inviting Saya? Not a lot of people are really "friends" with her." Makoto gave a member suggestion.

"Yeah. After the thing with her father, no one really tries befriending her. It's a bit sad." Hisashi said it a low voice.

"Then we just gotta invite her, right? That would already increase our numbers to four." I talked trying to dissipate the heavy atmosphere. It seemed to have worked.

"That's right." Makoto said it.

"So, tomorrow, we can start our recruiting of our member Saya!"

After a lot of talk about methods of convincing Saya to join our unofficial club, it got a bit late. It was already three and thirty, and we split up.

"See you guys tomorrow!" I was about to leave when Makoto came up and stopped me.

"Wait a bit! You guys still haven't given me your phone numbers. We can't be a club if I can't even talk with you two!" Like I did with Hisashi, we all shared our phone numbers.

After that, I went home. As I ventured deeper and deeper into town, my walk home became longer and longer. I was really hoping Mom and Dad would accept my request and give me a bike to move around.

I opened the locked door with my key. Dad was apparently still napping even at this time. I took this opportunity to watch TV. The game show program from the last day still hadn't started, so I settled for a movie. By the time it finished, Dad had already woken up, and he was waiting for me to leave the couch and watch his usual cooking show.

I returned to my room. I took my diary out of my backpack. I skipped all of the pages that were already used and stopped on a blank one. I used my set of colorful pens to write about today. It was a day filled with fun and happiness. If things were to continue like this, I wouldn't mind it.

I continued the rest of the day like usual. I had dinner with Dad; I studied the subjects we studied at school; I slept thinking about the fun things we could do tomorrow...

 ** **June 21st****

I completed my usual morning preparations and walked to school as usual. I thought about the girl named Saya that both Makoto and Hisashi mentioned in the cafe. What would she look like? Which things did she like? Would she actually join our club?

I passed by the library and remembered I had to pick up my library card tomorrow. I'd probably do it on my way back from school.

This time, the gate was already opened by the time I arrived, and there were no teachers to take me to my class, so I had to use the map I was given. I successfully made my way to Class 2-C. This time, I noticed Makoto. He was sitting on the seat horizontally farthest from Hisashi, which made him a bit distant from both of us. He waved his hand a bit, as a "good morning" gesture. Hisashi greeted me with a "morning". Before the teacher could arrive, I talked to Hisashi.

"Which girl is Saya?"

"The one in the middle row, three seats counting from the front." Following his directions, I could see the girl. She was by herself, but she didn't seem particularly lonely.

"So, how are we going to convince her?"

"I'm not sure yet. We gotta talk to Makoto and decide on a plan. She usually leaves right after school ends, so we have to be quick."

"Got it!"

The teacher arrived, putting a stop to our chit-chat. It was a normal school day, and just like the day before, Hisashi and I talked frequently when we had the chance.

We heard the school siren, and as the teacher left, we nodded to each other. We stood up and went to talk with Makoto.

"So, it's time." I said.

"We gotta recruit her for our club!" Makoto was pumped.

All three of us moved close to Saya's seat. She was about to stand up and leave, but we blocked her path.

"Excuse me." She said firmly.

"Before you leave, can we talk a bit with you?"

"Please be quick."

"The three of us are thinking about starting a club, but we don't have enough members, so we were wondering if you'd like to join us."

"A club? What sort of club?"

-"We read books." Makoto said.

"We also hang out at Gateau Cafe." It was Hisashi's turn.

"Just that?" Saya seemed a bit let down.

"It's really fun, though!" I said it, trying to make our mundane activities look interesting.

"I can do that by myself." She was straightforward.

"Like I said, our club is still in development, so we can do other things too. Whatever you like!" I was really desperate to have new members, so I said whatever I felt would convince her.

"Do you guys like photography? Like, sight-seeing?"

"I really enjoy sight-seeing!" Hisashi answered. He had, in fact, told me he liked looking at the night sky. I guess that also applied to other scenic-looking views.

"Then, do you know some good places to take pictures of?"

"I do! It's a place close to my home. I can take you there!" Hisashi's hobbies were really helping our case.

"Okay then." She accepted our proposal. "I can't hang out with you today or tomorrow, cause I have some things to take care of. But I'm free on Thursday, so you can show me this place then."

"Sure!" Hisashi turned around to look at me and Makoto. "Are you two free as well?"

"Yeah."

"I don't have anything in particular."

"Good! Then, all four of us can go." Hisashi took his phone out. "I don't think you know my address. I can message you, so if you could give your phone number."

"Of course." After another phone exchanging sequence, we unblocked her path, and she left.

"We actually did it." I said slightly shocked at how easy it was.

"I can understand it." Hisashi spoke in the same low tone as the time he mentioned Saya's father. "She probably feels lonely, but she wouldn't let it show."

I didn't want to pry into matters, so I didn't make any remark about it. Makoto also refrained from commenting on it.

Today, the teachers had been especially rough on us, giving a bunch of homework to do, so we all returned home for the rest of the afternoon. That was a bit of a bummer to me, but I didn't want to leave my homework for later since I knew it would eventually pile up and become a huge pain.

At home, it would get considerably more silent in weekdays, since Mom was almost never around. I thought about asking Dad how my bike idea was going, but he'd probably just say "I'm thinking about it". He only ever really did the things I asked if I had Mom's approval.

As I studied, I thought about Saya and her photography idea. It seemed a bit different from the usual hobbies people around our age might have. Our club gathered all sorts of people, with many interests. That was, in a way, admirable. Instead of rejecting differences, we embraced them and explored those interests together. Of course, I was just patting myself on the back, but it was still a good idea. Were it not for a club like ours, the students who didn't fit in would probably just be left out of everything and treated like weirdos for the rest of the school life. However, the club offered the possibility of making some new friends, which was something none of us could just reject, especially since we were all aware of bad it felt to be rejected only because you're different.

I finished my homework a bit late, and only really had time to dine and go to sleep. I reminded myself that I had to pick up my library card on the way home. I slept well, and I was happy at how nicely this new life seemed to be going.


	3. Saya

****June 22nd****

I woke up late today for some reason. I hadn't stayed up particularly late or anything of the kind, so there was no reason for my lateness.

My school day was rather generic. This time, Saya also joined our small conversations, but her input was even lower than Makoto's. I didn't really have anything to do after school, but I didn't want to stay home like yesterday. I thought about what sort of things I could do in the afternoon, but I couldn't come up with anything specific, so I opted with just picking up a book using my new library card.

Going home, I entered the library. There were a few other people there as well, most of them being students like me. I walked up to the counter and spoke with the same man that I had talked to that day.

"Excuse me. I'm Shiroki Mitsune. I'm here to get my library card. I filled the papers on Sunday."

"I understand. I'll go get it for you." He left and went to get it. When he came back, he also handed me a paper to sign. - Please sign this paper. It states that you have received your card, and are now under full responsibility for what happens to it.

I signed it and took my library card.

"Can I borrow a book already?"

"There's no problem with that. You just have to pick it and bring it here for me to register it."

"Got it."

I looked around, trying to find any interesting books for me to read this afternoon. I eventually settled with an easy-to-digest adventure novel. I could probably finish it in one sitting if I felt motivated enough. After registering my name and setting the return date, I went home, continuing my usual routine.

I read the book while lying on my bed. It was about a boy who could travel through time. He returned multiple times to the same starting point in order to prevent a tragedy. It made me think about how amazing it would be if we really could create a functioning time machine. What effects would it have in our life? I imagine it would forever change the way our society works.

If I could go back in time, I'd do so many things differently...

 ** **June 23rd****

It was finally the day. I'd not only get to actually see Hisashi's house, but we would also explore a cool place. I was excited, and I thought about what this place could be. Maybe a meadow filled with beautiful flowers? Or maybe a path through the woods, taking us to a magical land?

At school, nothing was different. The teachers were all the same, the students were all the same. Still, even with the monotony of everyday life, I can still hope for something interesting happening in our club.

After school, the teacher Akiko came over to me. It didn't look like anything serious, but I was still a bit tense.

"I just wanted to know how your school life's been. Are you getting used to your new routine?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm having fun and I'm making some friends."

"I see. That's good. I hope you'll enjoy this year's Nikkou Festival. The theme will be cooking. We'll even have a cooking contest, so if you want to join, talk to me."

"Nikkou Festival?"

"Oh, you don't know about it? It's a yearly festival that happens at the summer break. We choose a different theme every year, and the students form groups and participate in various activities."

"Sounds fun. Maybe I'll join this year."

"I'd be glad to see you enjoying your time at our school." I thought about it. It reminded of the festival Hisashi mentioned a couple of days ago. Something about fireworks. Looks like summer break is quite the fun time around here. I thought about the idea of forming a group and joining this year's festival. If everyone else agreed, I'd be fine with it. "If you prepare a really nice plate, you might get first prize. I can't tell what it is, but it's certainly a magnificent prize."

"Sounds fun! I'll talk to my friends about it."

"Please do so." The teacher then looked at her watch and left.

When I was about to leave, Hisashi appeared breathing deeply.

"I was looking for you!"

"Did something happen?"

"We hadn't decided the time of our meeting today! I talked with Makoto and Saya, and they both agreed on two o'clock. Are you okay with that?"

"I really have nothing to do at home, so any time is fine by me."

"Okay." He seemed quite tired, but he still ran off, heading home.

Even though I already did it pretty much every day, I still felt like complaining about the heat. It was summer, so I should've gotten used to it already, but instead, it only felt worse.

I returned the book to the library. I wasn't really feeling like reading anything else, so I left without borrowing any other books. Upon arriving at home, I did everything like usual and waited for the time of our meeting. He didn't specify a location, so I naturally assumed it would be at the park.

After yet another round of walking, I arrived there. I could see Hisashi and Saya already there. It seems Makoto would be the last one to arrive.

"Good afternoon." Saya's greeting was simple and direct.

"Hiya!" Hisashi's contrasted with hers, being friendly and casual.

"So, Makoto still isn't here?" I asked.

"Not yet. He lives a bit far away." Hisashi explained.

As I looked around, I noticed something around Saya's body. It was a suspender-like cloth, being used to hold a camera.

"Is that your camera?"

"Yes. It was a present from my parents. It's what awakened my liking for photography." Saya was apparently planning on taking pictures of the place Hisashi would show us. I wanted to talk to her some more, but Makoto arrived, ending our conversation. We greeted him and started walking again.

We went through the path we had taken to reach the cafe that day, but this time we turned right at the crossroads. We walked some more until we reached the end of the road. Saya spoke:

"Have we already passed by your house?"

"Yeah. I didn't really mention it, but we passed right in front of it. Let's keep going."

It was the end of the road, so we entered the woods. It was a bit eerie, but we trusted him to show us the way. Not too long after walking straight, we found a path.

"Let's follow this path. We're already really close." Hisashi gave us the directions.

As he said, we only had to follow the path a bit to arrive at his secret spot. On the way there, Saya stopped every so often to take a picture of the scenery.

What we saw there was a clearing. Right under it was a small wooden gazebo. In the gazebo, there were wooden chairs and a small desk. By the side of the gazebo, there were the broken remains of a small garden fence. The flowers themselves were blooming at full force, however. The natural feel of this place was relaxing.

"This is my secret hideout." Hisashi exclaimed happily. "It's not really secret, but most people wouldn't expect something like this to be here."

"Why is there a gazebo here?" Makoto was apparently surprised at the presence of a gazebo in the woods.

"My father built it. Our whole family used to come here to watch the sky at night. It was chilly, but it was also really fun..."

"Do you guys not do it anymore?" I wondered.

"Not really. I'm probably the only one who still comes here." He didn't look like he wanted to explain it any further, so I didn't question him.

While we were chatting, Saya was taking a bunch of pictures of the gazebo and of the trees.

"This place is really nice. I could practice my photography skills here for a while." Saya was satisfied with Hisashi's cool spot. Hisashi also looked happy that everyone was liking it.

There were four wooden chairs in the gazebo, which were enough to fit all of us. We all sat down, and I decided to set the plan in motion.

"So, Saya. You liked the spot we showed you, right?"

"I can't deny it's certainly different from anything in town."

"Then, are you going to join our club? You said you would if we showed a really nice place." I spoke in a way to convince her.

"You know what? I really have not much else to do at home." Saya said it resigned. "I'll join your club."

We three cheered and welcomed Saya.

"Welcome to the Nikkou Book Club!" All three of us said it, though not in a synchronized manner, so it came out as a bunch of noises. Saya laughed at us.

"Nikkou Book Club? That's your club name?" Saya continued laughing, but not in a mocking manner. "Well, that's fine. I've seen worse names before."

"So, we have four members!" Hisashi exclaimed.

"Our goal was five, but I don't really think we have enough time for that." Makoto said it, making reference to our original member target.

"Well, I can think of one person who might be interested in joining." Saya was the one to say that. "She's not in our classroom, though."

"Who is it?" I wondered.

"It's a bit of a friend of mine. She's not quite a friend, but we know each other well enough." Saya stopped and thought for a while. "She's the class president for 3-B. Her name is Oshiro Aoi, I think you might have heard it before."

"Oshiro Aoi?! Isn't that the town mayor's daughter?" Makoto was the one to question it.

"Yeah. That doesn't mean anything, though."

"Yes, it does! She is the daughter of one of the most powerful people in the whole town!" Makoto seemed against the idea of letting this girl join our club. "I've heard that her father hates when the "common people" interact with him and his family."

"You're not being nice." Saya was a bit sad at Makoto's words. "Her family has nothing to do with the sort of person she is."

"Do you really think that? She was raised by them, it's impossible for her not to have been influenced!" Makoto was uncharacteristically aggressive.

"I've talked with her before, and she is nothing like what you think! In fact, she told me these kinds of assumptions only hurt her." Saya's voice revealed a certain sadness, like Makoto's words were directed at her.

"That's enough! We're not here to argue!" Hisashi said it in a serious tone. He felt like my father when he scolded me.

Hearing Hisashi's voice, Makoto looked down. Saya also seemed to be upset.

"It's already getting late. I think I'll go home now." Saya said it.

"Sorry for saying it like that. I was being insensitive." Makoto genuinely apologized.

"It's fine, really." I couldn't tell if Saya had really accepted the apology. "See you guys at school tomorrow!"

She finished saying it and quickly left, going back the same path we used when coming here. Makoto looked like he deeply regretted saying it, but the damage was already done.

"I guess I'll be going too..." It was Makoto. "Later!"

He practically ran away, leaving only Hisashi and me sitting under the gazebo. We shared glances.

"It was supposed to be a fun day." Hisashi was disappointed. I sighed.

"I wonder if Saya's really still in the club."

"Probably not. Not after this." I stopped to think about the argument. Both Makoto and Saya had pretty strong reactions, for reasons I couldn't really understand.

"Why did the two of them get so worked up over that?"

"I don't really know why Makoto would say things like that, but I understand Saya." He stopped to breathe, and his expression suddenly grew really serious. "It was probably Saya's father."

"I heard you mention him earlier. What happened to him?"

"He disappeared." He stated it directly, in a way that got me taken aback.

"What?"

"He disappeared. Two years ago." The seriousness in his complexion faded way, giving way to hints of sadness. "One day, her father left for work, but he didn't come back."

"What happened to him?"

"No one knows. He really did just disappear. Saya and her mother both tried getting the attention of the police and the news, as an attempt to find out the truth, but to this day, no one knows where he is or why he left."

"Where he is? Did he leave on his own?"

"Even that is a mystery. Some people theorize he ran away from the town because of a lover. I personally don't believe that, though. He was a good person, so I don't think he'd do something this cruel."

"What are the other theories?"

"Well, the other most common theory is that he got captured by someone."

"Then what?"

"Well... that's..." He hesitated in his words. Eventually, he collected himself and said it. "Then he got killed."

"K-Killed?!"

"I mean, if they wanted ransom money, they'd have done it long ago. It's been two whole years. It's far more likely that he just got killed."

"But why would someone do that?"

"Some people think that he was being too nosy."

"Too nosy? What does that mean?"

"Saya's father was a detective. Apparently, he was of pretty high rank, so a lot of officers respected him. One day, he decided to investigate a certain incident. He investigated and got a lot of clues. When he got too close to the truth, though... He disappeared." I thought about all the information I was just given.

"If he was a high-rank detective, he couldn't have just disappeared like this without anyone knowing anything about it!"

"But that's what happened. Even if you ask anyone or look it up online, you won't find anything. His disappearance was just labeled as "unresolved" and archived."

"I see..."

"Do you understand Saya's situation now?" Hisashi asked me, hoping for an answer.

"Yeah. You guys said no one wants to be friends with her nowadays. I understand now. Still, why would people exclude her from things? Her father going missing should have made people sympathetic."

"You're right. Still, people didn't want to really be around her anymore. As a result, she also became unfriendly, and it turned into a cycle. I admit I was one of the people who stayed away."

"That's all the more reason to be friendly to her!" Instead of looking down, I decided to look up. The clearing allowed me to see the sky. I noticed it was starting to get late. It was probably somewhere close to five. "It really is getting late. We should go home."

"Yeah. Tomorrow, let's apologize to Saya at school." I nodded.

We didn't really feel like chatting on our way home. This time, Hisashi stopped in front of his house, so I was able to see which it was. It was a fairly big house, bigger than mine, at least. It was painted white, and it had a small garden just like the one near the gazebo, though this one wasn't falling apart.

"Bye!" Hisashi said and waved at me, while I went home alone.

On my way home, I thought about things. Saya's dad, mostly. I wonder what happened to him? Would he really be so awful as to leave behind his family? I barely knew Saya herself, so being aware of something so personal felt weird. I guess for now the best thing to do is just pretend I don't know anything about it.

 ** **June 24th****

I wasn't able to sleep very well because of yesterday's events, and I woke up feeling tired for the first time since moving to town. My grumpy mood was noticed by Dad.

"Did something happen?"

"Not really. I just didn't sleep well tonight."

"Ah. Hope you get better."

"Thanks..."

I didn't really want to go to school. My breakfast felt bland. For some reason, everything felt wrong today. It was because of yesterday. Simply knowing that Saya's father disappeared had changed my view of the town. Everything was going along fine just before I learned that. You know what? I'll just forget about all that. I'll force myself to forget, and go back to the fun days. With that in mind, I continued my day.

Forget. Forget. Forget. Ignorance is bliss.

At school, both Saya and Makoto seemed to be fine. They had regained their usual cheerfulness. When classes ended, they both came over to talk to Hisashi and me.

"Hello!" Makoto's voice was the same as ever.

"Hi, you two. It's my first official day in the club, so I don't really know what you guys do after school." Saya didn't show any signs of sadness either. "Do you stay at school or do you go somewhere?"

"We could go to the cafe." Hisashi suggested we go to the same cafe as before.

"Um..." I didn't think about my words, and I blurted out something I shouldn't have. "Are you two alright? After what happened yesterday?"

It was obvious that my words were directed at Saya and Makoto. The two of them looked at me, and I felt their gazes piercing my soul. There wasn't maliciousness in their stares, simply a feeling of "Why would you bring it up?".

"We're fine." They both said it at almost the same time.

"What happened in the past stays in the past." Saya said this and then changed the subject. "What's this cafe you're talking about, Hisashi?"

"It's a cafe near my home. Do you remember the street where we turned right yesterday? It's right there."

"Oh, I think I know what you're talking about. My mom took me there once."

"Then you're fine going there, right?"

"Sure thing."

After this, both Saya and Makoto left, leaving me alone with Hisashi, just like yesterday.

"Sorry for being rude." I said to Hisashi.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." Hisashi said it in a way to make me feel bad, but I knew he didn't really want to hurt me. Honestly, out of all of us four, he seemed to be the most adult-like. Saya also seemed responsible, but I didn't really know her enough to say it yet.

"Is meeting at the cafe by two fine for you?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. I'll message them later as well. See ya!" Hisashi left as well. I stayed a little bit longer, just looking around the school. After getting bored, I decided to leave, and I walked my usual way home under the hot sun. Everything had already resolved itself. I was the only one still bothered by yesterday. I just had to calm down and leave it in the past, just like Saya told me to.

By the time I got home, I had sorted out my feelings to an extent, and I sat down to have lunch with Dad.

"Are you feeling better now?" Dad was apparently worried over my mood since this morning.

"Yeah!" My smile wasn't quite right, but it was close to normal enough for Dad not to notice it.

"That's good. Your mother is coming home tonight."

"Right." I was happy Mom would be coming home. She was probably the person I was closest to in the whole world, even considering the fact that she isn't home almost the whole week. A bunch of things happened this week, so I'd have a lot to talk with her. "Did she tell you when she'd be home?"

"Around six. You should be here to greet her."

"I'll go out with my friends for a bit. It won't take long." Dad nodded and we resumed eating.

I continued my day normally. At one thirty, my phone's alarm went off. I took a shower and went to the park. Strangely, there was no one there this time. I waited a bit, but I didn't want to be late, so I eventually decided to walk to the cafe by myself. While walking, I noticed that the sun was abnormally missing. I looked up at the sky and saw many clouds gathering. It would rain later today, it seemed.

I got close to the cafe, and I could see the three of them standing. They noticed me and waved at me. Hisashi came over.

"Sorry we didn't wait for you today. We thought it'd be easier to wait for you here."

"It's alright. I don't really mind." In truth, I preferred to meet them up at the park, but I was the only one living that way, so it would be selfish of me to expect them to walk to the park every time. Still, that would all be meaningless once I got a bike.

We all sat around a table. Saya and Makoto were right next to each other.

"Do you guys already wanna order?" Hisashi asked us.

"Just let me look at the menu for a bit." It was Saya's first time here with us, so she hadn't yet decided what to have. After some thinking, she spoke again. "I think I'll have a chocolate milkshake."

"A milkshake? That's unusual." Makoto smiled while saying that. There was a noticeable difference in Saya and Makoto's attitudes. Something had definitely happened yesterday.

"It's been really hot lately, so a milkshake would be perfect." Saya also had a smile.

Hisashi signaled to the waiter, and he came over to get our order. Both Hisashi and Makoto ordered the usual. I got an orange juice instead of a strawberry one. Saya ordered the milkshake. The waiter left.

"So, what are we going to talk about today?" Saya asked the group.

"I wanted to mention something." I said it.

"What is it?" Hisashi had a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"The teacher told me about the Nikkou Festival. You guys know about it already, right?"

"Yeah, we're aware." Makoto confirmed it.

"Then, I was thinking about forming a group and actually participating in it. What do you guys think?"

"That's... I don't know. It could be fun, I guess." Hisashi didn't seem to like the idea, but he didn't seem to dislike it either. He just needed a little incentive.

"The teacher told me that the first prize is really good! I'm sure if the four of us tried, we'd manage to make something really tasty!"

"Do you know how to cook?" Makoto asked me. He was obviously expecting me to say yes.

"No. But I can help you guys cut the veggies, or maybe mix the cake batter, or _something_!"

"I can cook. Not very well, but I can make some alright food." Saya was open to the idea.

"See? We can do it if we try!" I really wanted to join the festival. It was mostly for the prize, but also having some fun bonding time with my friends.

"I guess it's alright." Hisashi resigned.

"Then we just gotta talk to the teacher. I didn't ask when exactly the festival was, though..."

"It's the usually the Sunday right after summer break begins. That would make it... uh, the 24th of July, I think. It's exactly one month from now." Makoto gave us a clear date.

"Then we have a whole month to hone our cooking skills! Really, guys, we gotta take this seriously!" I rose up from my seat as if I were a queen ordering her followers. Right when I did so, the waiter returned with our drinks, and I sat again embarrassed. "Anyways, now that you guys agreed to the idea, do any of you have a suggestion of what to cook?"

"I like sweets and things like that. A cake, maybe?" Saya suggested a cake. Cakes had the potential to be really good, but could also go really wrong.

"I prefer something more filling, like meat." Meats were good and filling, but they weren't really remarkable enough to win a contest.

"I like pasta. Something like a lasagna would be my bet." Makoto went for a lasagna. It was refined, but it wasn't easy to make.

It was now up to me. I was the one who would decide it. I thought about it for a while, but my biases naturally brought me to a decision.

"I also vote for cake. That makes two votes, so it's settled." Both Makoto and Hisashi didn't seem super excited, but they accepted their loss.

"Alright... So, what sort of cake is it going to be?" Hisashi resigned himself to cake.

"I think the basic strawberry shortcake is the tastiest." Saya really did have a preference for sugary things.

"It's tasty, but not unique enough. I think the best compromise would be a fruit cake. It's delicious but also has a high-class aura to it." I was making a bunch of decisions, but since no one went against them, I followed along.

"What about an exotic fruit cake? Things like pineapples, kiwis and other fruits you don't see every day." Makoto was the one to say it.

"That's even better. Although the only problem would be that exotic fruits aren't exactly cheap. We'd have to save our money to buy them." I was up for it, as much as not being able to use my allowance pained me.

"I'm fine with saving some money." Hisashi agreed to the idea, and so did Saya.

"That's... alright." Makoto also agreed, but he didn't seem too fond of the plan.

With the whole festival thing settled, we started chatting about life, exams, food and other things fitting for our age. We eventually got into the usual question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?". The person who surprised me the most was Saya, who wanted to be a police officer. I just couldn't see her in a position like that, but maybe that was just my own prejudice.

After a while, a cold breeze blew through the cafe. We all felt it.

"It's probably going to rain soon. I guess it's time to go home." Hisashi mentioned the weather.

"I have to walk home for a bit, so I should get going early." I had already finished my orange juice, and I had to greet Mom when she arrived, so I should go home as early as possible.

We paid for our drinks and we left. Saya, Hisashi, and Makoto went in a direction, and I went in the opposite direction. I walked fast in order to reach home before it started raining. I wasn't able to completely avoid the rain, but by the time it had started falling, I was only seconds away from home.

I got home with my clothes kind of wet, so I had to completely change them. It was a bit past four. Mom would be arriving in about an hour. While waiting for her, I sat down on the sofa and watched TV. Dad was making some sort of special dinner for Mom. When I turned on the TV, it was already on the news channel, and I didn't really feel like changing it.

"The man was discovered to be gone when the landlord knocked on his door, and there was no response. The landlord then used his key to open the apartment, and found out the man wasn't there."

It was a news report about a man that went missing from his apartment. What surprised me the most was that it took place in Hoshigata-chou. He lived alone apparently, so one noticed his disappearance until the landlord went to check on him. The police questioned people and found out he hadn't been seen by anyone around the apartment for the last two days.

After a while of hearing about the case, I decided to change the channel and watched the usual game show. It was starting to get boring, but there weren't a huge number of channels that had signal here. While watching it, I heard a knock on the door. It could only be one person: Mom. I ran to the door and opened it. I was greeted by Mom, who was with her work stuff. I hugged her quickly, and she left her stuff on the couch. She seemed tired, but her expression was still soft. I always admired the way Mom managed work and family matters.

"How have you two been?" Mom asked it while lying on the couch. "Work this week was seriously tiring."

"My week was fun! Lots of things happened, and I made a bunch of friends." I told her about it like a little girl would.

"That's good. I'm glad you like it here."

"I made your favorite spring rolls." Dad came over and put his elbows on the couch, behind Mom's head. "Do you want to eat already?"

"Yeah. I'm really hungry." Mom sat on a chair. We followed her, and we all sat by the table. "You're so sweet. I really love your spring rolls."

"Let's eat together." It was still early, but I knew Mom appreciated it when we ate as a family.

I understood why Mom liked Dad's rolls. Everything about them was amazing. Dad was gifted with the skill of cooking, unlike me.

I knew it wasn't really the appropriate time, but I didn't want to leave this for later.

"Mom, I've been wanting to get a bike so I could ride it to school. What do you think?"

"I don't really mind it. It's gonna count as your Christmas present, though."

"Huh? Christmas?! That's still so far away, though!"

"Well, if you act like a good girl for the rest of the year, I might give you both the bike and a Christmas present."

"I promise! I'll be the best daughter in the world!"

"Alright then. I'll give you the money to buy your bike. You can choose whichever you like."

"Thanks! I love you, Mom!" Like I said a few days ago, Mom always solves things by herself. I asked Dad a bunch of times, but he just postponed it, while Mom gave me a condition and I accepted it.

Eating spring rolls happily, we all welcomed Mom with a cheerful mood. This week was the best I'd had in a long time. Silently, I thanked God for the opportunity of meeting amazing new friends and starting anew. My coming to Hoshigata-chou was truly a miracle.


	4. Week-end

**June 25th  
**

I woke up early today, brimming with excitement. After a whole week of pestering Dad to buy me a bike, Mom had promised to give me some money so I could buy my own. After spending the entire breakfast chanting "thank you, thank you" to her, she gave me the money in the form of ten 10k yen notes. Not enough for one of those super-cool expensive bikes, but I was never one to be super show-offy or anything like that.

It was Saturday, so most schools didn't have classes today. I sat on the couch and started texting Hisashi. He'd definitely know where to buy the cheapest bikes in town.

"Morning!" I sent a basic greeting to check if he was awake. After a few minutes, I got a response.

"Morning. What's up?"

"Remember I was talking about getting a bike? My mother gave me the money, so I was wondering if you knew a bike shop in town?"

"There's only one. I can take you there. You'll have to wait for me to get ready though."

"Is meeting at eight o'clock in the park OK?"

"Yeah, it's fine by me. See you there."

With that, the conversation ended. It was around seven thirty, so it was just a short waiting time. Mom and Dad had returned to their room and they were probably spending some time together since they only had the weekends for it. 

I decided to leave early so I could return the book I had borrowed from the library a few days ago. I didn't feel like borrowing another one, so I quickly left after finishing my business. Thinking about it, I felt like my reading habits had decreased since I moved here. Maybe it's a side effect of actually having friends to hang out with.

I got to the park in time but Hisashi hadn't arrived yet. I didn't mind waiting a bit since the park always had a pleasant feel to it which made waiting feel "good", in a sense. Eventually, I started to hear heavy breathing, and I looked around to find Hisashi running towards me.

"Sorry for being late! There was kind of an accident with the breakfast today..."

"What happened?"

"Well, I was having some cereal and I just so happened to spill milk all over my clothes… Ugh, I had to get changed in like, five minutes..."

"That sucks. So, where is the bike shop?"

"It's actually in the direction of your house."

"So you made me come here for no real reason?"

"Well… I guess you could interpret it like that..." Hisashi was flustered. "Well, um, let's get going!"

We walked together. We passed by the library and even past my house. It was actually the first time I was going this far into this direction since most things were located deeper into town. At one point, I could even see a sign that said "Leaving Hoshigata-Chou: XX Km". While walking, I decided to start a conversation.

"By the way, do you know how to ride a bike?"

"Yeah, I do. I had a bike a few years ago, but it broke. I used to ride it everywhere until I crashed it and it became unusable. To this day, my mother won't buy me a new one. Guess she's too afraid of me breaking it again."

I laughed. Hisashi was a pretty klutzy person, so I could imagine him running straight into a tree or something like that. 

After walking a considerable distance, probably around double the distance compared to the park, we found the bike shop. It was a large building, like something you might find in a large city. It contrasted to the small, wooden houses surrounding it, like a real-life doctored image. We entered it through the automated glass doors. Inside of the shop was air-conditioned, so it felt much more pleasant than the heat from outside.

There were a bunch of bikes of various styles and colors on the ground, chained to metal poles. Pinned to the walls were all sorts of posters of races and other sorts of advertisements.

The only person in the shop other than the two of us was an old man sitting on a chair behind a counter. He looked at us and came over.

"Hello there! You two need something?"

"I'm here to pick a bike."

"Oh, I see! Well, if you need any help choosing one, you can ask me anything."

"Thank you."

After that, the old man took a flier from the counter and handed it to me. The flier showcased the newest bike models. I wanted a bike that would be comfortable and fast. It didn't really have to look good or anything, just fulfill its function nicely.

"So, do you like any bike in particular?" Hisashi asked me, wanting to know my opinion.

"There are a few ones that caught my interest, but I haven't really decided on which yet."

I decided to question the salesman.

"Mister, that bike over there..." I pointed to the bike that I was most interested in. "...how comfortable is it? You know, the seat."

"Oh, that one! It's a recent one, I got it a month ago. It's made for casual bikers, so the saddle is very soft. I'd recommend it if you're going to use it often."

I also asked about a bunch of other ones I liked, but this really was the one I preferred. It looked like it could reach high speeds, and after touching the saddle, I really could notice how fluffy it was.

"So, how much does it cost?"

"It's usually 90k yen, but I can give a first-time discount! 85k Yen, how about it?"

"That's a good price. I'm going to buy it. Please go get it for me."

"Got it!"

The salesman left for a while and returned with a key. He used the key to unlock the padlock that was chaining the bike.

"By the way, for an additional 5k, I can sell you a lock and chain set. It's a dangerous era we live in, so you never know..."

"I'll also buy this set. That brings it to the original price of the bike."

He unlocked the bike and used a scanning machine to check the tag. After finishing the purchase in the computer, he handed me the bike along with a box carrying the lock, key, and the chain inside. I still had a single 10k yen bill left, so I thought of the purchase as a pretty good deal.

"That's a nice bike. It has some space for another person in the back." Hisashi evaluated it and he seemed to be pleased.

"At least now we won't have to walk all the way home!" I exclaimed it to him.

"It really sucks that my bike broke..."

"Didn't you just mention that there's space for a second person. Come on, I can give you a ride to the park!"

"Really? That's awesome, thanks!"

We both got on the bike and I started riding it. It had been at least a year since I hadn't used a bicycle since my old one was stolen. The bike wobbled here and there but, overall, I felt confident enough in my skills.

We had probably walked for at least twenty, maybe even thirty minutes just to get here from the park, but going back on a bike only took around 10 minutes.

"Thanks for the ride."

"No problem."

"By the way, do you have something to do this afternoon?"

"I'm not sure. I might go shopping with Mom."

"Oh, I see. If you're free, message me later."

"Okay."

After dropping Hisashi by the park and seeing him walk away, I returned home.

My exposure to the sun was reduced since I spent less time to move from one place to the other, and the breeze from riding the bike was also a nice extra.

Although I had bought the lock and chain, I didn't have anything to chain the bike to, so I was forced to bring it inside. The rattling noise the bike made was enough to make both Mom and Dad leave their room.

"That's the bicycle you bought?"

"Yeah! Isn't it cool?"

"It's good. How much did it cost?"

"90k. It's really good, so I think it was worth the price."

"If you say so. By the way, do you have to place it inside? It's going to get the floor all dirty."

"There's nowhere for me to chain it to outside. I can't just leave it unchained, it's gonna get stolen!"

"I see. Still, if the floor does get messy, you'll be the one to clean."

"Fine… Also, I wanted to ask you something. Are we really going to go shopping in the afternoon?"

"I wouldn't describe it as 'shopping'. It's more like 'buying the groceries'."

"Aww. Still, won't we at least have a snack or something?"

"If you help me with them, I promise to buy you something nice."

"It's a deal!"

We had lunch as usual. After lunch, Mom asked me to take a piece of paper and make a grocery list. I looked into the cabinets and wrote the essentials along with a bunch of unnecessary stuff that I liked a lot. Mom probably wouldn't buy them all, but knowing her, she'd still buy at least a few.

Thankfully, I also remembered to text Hisashi to say that I would be busy today. It'd be pretty awful if he just waited the whole afternoon without a response.

With the list ready, we left. Going out with Mom and Dad was one of the few times I got to get in the car. It didn't mean much, but I thought it was fun anyways. Apparently, Mom had asked some people in town about the markets around here, and they pointed out a fairly big supermarket that opened not too long ago. It was part of some sort of famous franchise that wanted to "expand their horizons".

In order to get there, we headed in the direction of the crossroad where the cafe was located. I pointed out to Mom and Dad but they didn't really pay attention. This time, we headed left. This part of the town didn't really have many houses (though the houses that did exist were bigger than any others I'd seen), but rather, it was where the police station, the clinic, and other useful things were located. I think I heard some students in school saying that the prefecture was this way too. I guess the government decided to place the public buildings close to each other. Overall, this part of the town seemed to be where the rich people lived.

Eventually, we stopped in front of the supermarket. It was similar to the supermarkets you'd find in Shirogane-shi, and it exuded an aura that was different from the country-like aura of the rest of the town. There were a bunch of cars parked in the parking area, but there were a whole lot more bicycles there. It was understandable since there were few asphalted roads and many dirt and stone roads around.

Mom parked the car and we got out. I took the grocery list out of my pocket and handed it to Mom, then I got a shopping cart. This place reminded a lot of the bike shop I had gone to earlier. Come to think of it, I think the names were very similar. Maybe they're owned by the same company?

While we three did the groceries, every once in a while, I put something in the shopping cart hoping that Mom wouldn't notice, but her sharp gaze always detected and removed it.

While there, I remembered the whole thing with the cooking competition. This would the perfect moment to buy some things. We still had a whole month to wait, so I'd only be able to buy some key ingredients that wouldn't spoil like flour and sugar. I told Mom about it, and she understood my situation, so she let me buy some extra stuff. On the other hand, she forced to remove all of the previous things I had put in the cart since I'd already been using my "purchasing power" to buy the cake ingredients.

Overall, we didn't really buy a lot, since it was almost the end of the month. One thing I did notice was that there were a lot of people in the store. I suppose it would be natural for a big supermarket with lots of sales and product variety to attract the most customers.

Strangely, there weren't many cashiers, so there were fairly big lines in each of them. We entered the one that was the shortest at the moment. While waiting, I decided to look around for fun, and I saw a familiar face right in the line to the right. It was Makoto. I left Mom and Dad in the line and walked over to talk to him.

"Hi! Didn't expect to see you around here."

"Oh, it's you. Hello."

"So, are you buying something?" – It was a stupid question. He was carrying a bunch of bags filled with things and he was waiting in a cashier line. He was obviously buying something.

"Yeah. I'm just doing the weekly groceries."

"Are your parents not here with you?" – When I asked him that, he froze for a second. He answered looking straight into my eyes.

"No. They're busy right now."

"Uh… I see! So, you always do this by yourself, huh?"

"Yeah. It's only natural for a child to obey their parents' orders."

"That's true! I always do what my parents tell me to. They only want what's best for us, after all."

"I know. Parents truly are amazing people." – The conversation had gone in a weird direction so I decided to change the subject.

"So, what are you buying?"

"Things for mother and father. There's also some food here."

"Food? What do you like eating?"

"It's mostly processed food. Chips, soda, snacks. Things like that. I don't know how to cook very well."

"That's not very healthy. You should buy some vegetables and things like that." – Hisashi was going to respond but I heard Mom and Dad calling me. The line had moved quickly and it was already our turn.

"I have to get going. See you later!"

"See you some other time."

I returned and helped my parents take the groceries out of the cart. After finishing that, the packed groceries were placed in another cart, which we took to the car and stuffed everything in the back.

The rest of the day was just like any other. Still, with Mom being home it certainly felt better.

 **June 26th**

It was Sunday, arguably the best day of the week. The wall clock revealed that I had woken up at almost ten o'clock. I didn't have any plans for today, but it was likely that neither did my friends. I decided to text them to see if anyone had any ideas. The whole cafe thing was fun, but doing it every time would make it predictable and boring.

Mom and Dad had already had breakfast, so I ate by myself today. Mom had a serious expression as she talked to Dad, so I instantly knew she had some work business to take care of. When their conversation ended, I talked to Dad.

"Does Mom have something important to do today?"

"Yeah. She's going to have a talk with the previous owners of the house."

"The previous owners? You mean the people that sold this house to us?"

"Yes. She invited them for lunch, and she asked me to go somewhere with you."

"I understand. So, we're going to a restaurant today?"

"That's right. If you know any good ones nearby, you can tell me."

"I don't really know any _good_ ones, but I might know about a place or two."

"That's good enough. We should be leaving before noon, so do what you have to and be ready to leave."

"Okay!"

I went back to my room to see if someone had answered my messages.

Sadly, everyone was going to be busy today, so I'd have to find some way of killing time. Hisashi was going somewhere with his mother, Saya was going to visit her friend and Makoto was busy with his parents.

Though Dad told me to be ready soon, he was busy making the food for Mom's private lunch since she couldn't cook very well. By the time he was finished, it was just a bit until noon, and I could hear the doorbell ringing. I was going to open the door, but Mom stopped me and did it herself. When Mom opened the door I could see two older people. It looked like an elderly couple, who were about ten years older than Mom and Dad. Mom bowed respectfully, and the older couple bowed in response. They talked about something that I couldn't really hear, and the couple entered. Mom showed them the way to the dining room and whispered something to Dad. With that, he took me by the hand and we left.

Dad could drive the car, although not as skillfully as Mom. When I said I knew about a good restaurant, I was referring to the cafe, but I didn't even really know if they served full meals in the first place. Still, I gave the directions to Dad and he drove there.

When we got there, there were quite a few people chatting. We got out of the car and sat down. We looked at the menu and decided on our meals. While waiting for it, I decided to chat a bit with Dad.

"Hey, Dad. Who were those two back then? The old couple, I mean."

"I already told you, they were the ones to sell us the house."

"But how did you two get to know them in the first place?"

"I'm not fully certain. I think your mother became acquainted with them through her work."

"Okay, I get that. Still, why would they sell us a house?"

"As far as I know, the two are really successful in the whole scientific research field. They own houses all over the state. When your mother got a job here, they offered to sell her their house for a good price."

"Oh, I get it now. So Mom's friends with those two, and they sold a house to us with a discount. That's nice."

After understanding the situation a bit more, we had lunch. Dad was extra nice and even bought me a milkshake. When we were done eating, it was still around one o'clock so we still had some time left before actually going home.

Without much else to do, Dad was just driving around, looking for somewhere to spend time at. This was probably the biggest downside of living in a small town: very few ways of killing time.

We eventually just decided to stop by the town's community center, that was located on the side of the park opposite the school. There was a sign with colorful letters above the door that said 'Hoshigata-chou Community Center'. We didn't really know what it was about, but it was the only thing to do at a time like this.

We entered the and found an expansive space. In the center were marks on the floor, like the ones used in sports fields. This, combined with the short fence surrounding the area with the lines suggested that this space was once used to host sports games. Between students from different schools, perhaps. At its current state, it was being used as a fair, with many stands set up and people walking back and forth to look at the things being sold.

"Woah, this is pretty cool."

"Hmm… Oh, is that stand selling clay figures? I'll go check it out!"

"I'll go with you." – For some reason, Dad really liked statues and other things that he could collect, so he was always excited to find people selling items like that. – "There's not much else that interests me around here."

We walked a bit to the stand he mentioned. I was surprised to find another familiar face, just like at the supermarket.

"Hi, teacher! It's me, Mitsune."

"Oh, hello. Good afternoon to you!"

"Oh, is this your teacher? I'm Mitsune's father, Shiroki Tarou."

"Glad to meet you. My name is Yamada Akiko. I'm a biology teacher at Nikkou High School, and I'm one of your daughter's teachers. As you can see, one of my hobbies is making decorated clay figures. I'd be very happy if you could buy one."

"Ohh, those are beautiful! Hey, Mitsune, which one do you like the most? You can pick one and I'll pick one as well!"

"Well, I like..." – I stopped to look at the wide selection of figures. There were some realistic human ones and some cutesy animal ones. I personally preferred the cute ones, so I picked a cute yellow lion with a red scarf. It was a strange design that reminded me of a character in a story I read once.

"Well, you'll pick that one? Then I'll have this one." – Dad picked a figure of a woman with a fruit basket on her head.

"So, you'll buy these two? Each is 500 so two will be a thousand yen." – Dad handed the teacher a 1k yen bill and paid for the figures, which she covered in newspaper and placed inside a plastic bag. – "Thank you for the purchase! It really helps further this hobby!"

Dad and I said goodbye to the teacher and looked around some more. After getting those figures, we didn't feel like buying anything more, so we eventually left.

By the time we left, it was a bit past two. Dad called Mom, and she said the two had already left and we could go home. We headed home. We were pretty tired, so we wanted to rest for the afternoon. Dad parked the car in front of the house and we entered. Mom also had a very exhausted face. Mom and Dad started talking and headed to their room. I was just really tired, so I dropped on the couch and lazily used the remote to turn the TV on.

Mom had left it on the news channel. I didn't really listen to what was being said, and I didn't even really know why I turned the TV on in the first place.

When I was about to fall asleep, the reporter started talking about a piece of news I had heard about recently.

"Woman disappeared. XXXX, age XX, was reported as missing by her coworkers. She worked as a waitress in a restaurant in Hoshigata-chou. She lived alone in a house she inherited from her deceased parents. She went home from her night shift on June 25th but did not show up for her morning shift the following morning, which would be today, June 26th. Her house was locked and untouched, suggesting that something happened to her on her way home."

It wasn't really super interesting or meaningful, but it reminded me of a report I heard a few days ago. It was very similar, but about a man, not a woman. After getting tired of thinking and trying to find a connection, I managed to fall asleep.

That marked the end of my first week of truly living here. In this one week, many things happened, some good and some bad but, overall, I felt like my new life here truly did signify the birth of a new Mitsune.


	5. Two Years Ago

**July 1** **st**

The school bell rang, signaling the end of today's class. It was also the end of the second week of classes for me. By this point, I had already understood the layout of the building and could come and go by myself.

"Aah, I totally forgot about the homework for today… I'm gonna have to work twice as hard for a good grade now..." – Hisashi was lamenting the fact that he hadn't done the homework the teacher handed last week.

"Well, it's not that bad. I mean, we're still only in the first semester, so you'll get chances to recover your grades."

"I know, but, still…"

"Well, that aside, it's the first of July today! Isn't that nice? That means we're going to be having summer break in a few weeks."

"I don't really know what I'm going to do for summer break yet. Do you have any plans?"

"I don't think so. Mom's been really busy with work lately, so I'm sure we'll have the time to go on a vacation."

"What does your mother do?"

"I'm not fully certain, to be honest. She's like a researcher, and she specializes in bacteria and cells and other things like that."

"Whoa, that's awesome. Being a researcher was one of the options I was considering, but I felt like too much study would ruin the novelty of it."

"I can understand the feeling. I've personally never been one to live the academic life. Everyone has something they're good at, and, no matter how much we try, we can't all be the best at _everything_."

"We can be the best at what we want to be if we work hard enough. That's what everyone thinks, but sometimes I wonder if that's really the truth."

"I believe in that idea. Sure, we might have things we're better at than some others but if we dedicate our studies to one field then we can certainly become an expert on that. In fact, that's pretty much what the whole concept of colleges are built upon."

"I suppose."

While we were chatting, Saya and Makoto came over.

"Another month starts, huh… Time really does fly by." – Saya said it in a reminiscing tone.

"Not much happened at the school in June. I think that your coming was the most 'exciting' event." – Makoto was bored, apparently. – "By the way, um, this is just my curiosity, but… Have you guys been watching the news recently?"

"Not really, why?" – Hisashi didn't look like the type to care about the news.

"Oh, it's nothing really."

"Are you talking about the disappearances?" – Saya was direct.

"Uh, yeah."

"I've been listing them. The first one was about two weeks ago. In total, there have been six up to today. All of them have been unsolved and the police have given an official statement about it: No clues, no perpetrators. Nothing." – Saya's voice was all business.

"Do we really have to mention this now?" – Hisashi was always defensive when the subject was the town's past incidents.

"Isn't it just too perfect to be a coincidence? Two years later, it all happens again..."

"Seriously, this isn't the time."

"When's the time, then? Or is it never the time? Will we just forget it all, like we did in the past?"

"Leave it to the police! They know what they're doing."

"Hah! As if! The police in this town are worthless! They can't do anything, not even capture a serial kidnapper!"

"This is giving me a headache… I'm going home now! See you guys later!" – Hisashi left, leaving me, Saya and Hisashi behind.

"He can't face the truth, so he keeps running away..." – Saya looked displeased.

"I don't really understand..." – I didn't get why this topic was such a "taboo". It certainly was tragic, but not enough to cause such strong reactions to people.

"It's just the way it is. Still, I won't stop searching. Even if hurts people, I won't give up."

"It's getting late. My Dad's waiting for me to get home, so I gotta go!" – I had already stayed too long, and the conversation wasn't a fun one.

"See you." – Saya's expression softened, and she said it in a friendly way.

I left the classroom and made my way to the exit. The school's walls had been repainted some months ago, so it all looked beautiful and nice to look at. On my way, I stopped to think about what Saya said. 'Two years later, it all happens again...' is what she said. She really must still feel strongly about what happened to her father. It's understandable, of course. Even so, these sudden disappearances just don't feel right… I wonder if there'd be some sort of hint to the events of two years ago hidden in this recent string of crimes.

I got on my bike and cooled my mind with the breeze hitting my face. As always, the smell of today's lunch was enough to make me put my troubles away.

Today's lunch was pasta. It was pretty good. My conversations with Dad weren't particularly exciting, but they were good enough for passing the time.

After eating, I returned to my room like always. After a while of just looking at the ceiling, my phone let out a cutesy jingle a few times.

I took it and started reading the message.

"Hi, it's Saya. I'm messaging you to know if you're free tomorrow. If you are, there's something I'd like to talk about."

In a normal day, that message really wouldn't mean much. However, considering the awkwardness of the argument this morning, it had given off a bit of an alarming feeling. Seeing how serious she was, I decided to respond immediately.

"I'm free tomorrow and Sunday, so whichever is fine by you."

Saya, too, was immediate in her response.

"I'd prefer Saturday. Is 4 PM a good time?"

"Yeah. What do you want to talk about?"

"I've noticed that you seem a bit unaware of the circumstances around here, so I'd like to fill you in. It's nothing too important, but I'd rather do it personally."

"What sort of circumstances?"  
"The disappearances. You've certainly already seen the news heard about them since it's a hot topic right now."

"Hisashi's already explained it to me. Sorry if you wanted to do it yourself."

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me about your father. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to be rude."

"I see. Is that all?"

"Is there more?"

"There's a lot more to it. I don't really feel comfortable telling you all about it through messages, so please meet me tomorrow at 4 PM." – She explained where her the house was and which streets to take to get there. It was relatively close to the supermarket, so I was a bit familiar with it. – "Please show up. I really want you to know the whole story."

"I'll make sure to be there."

After agreeing on the time and ending the conversation, I felt hollow for some reason. It just felt like all of my emotions had suddenly vanished, leaving behind a hollow shell of me. I stared at the ceiling some more before closing my eyes and resting.

I woke up again, but it was already really late, almost midnight. I didn't feel sleepy, but I knew I couldn't just stay awake for much longer. I skipped dinner so I made cup noodles to eat. I stared through my room's window and I saw a police officer looking around, going back and forth with a weak flashlight. He was presumably looking out for any strange characters.

"I guess these incidents really have been having an effect on the town as a whole..."

I listened to some music on my cell phone before falling asleep yet again…

* * *

 **July 2** **nd**

I woke up late today, and I hurried to get my school uniform ready…

Until I realized it was actually Saturday, so there would be no classes.

When I went down the stairs, Mom greeted me. I was surprised since I hadn't actually seen her arriving from work. I must have slept through it yesterday…

"Good morning!"

"Good morning. You're already here, huh?"

"Yeah, I arrived yesterday in the late afternoon. Your father and I wondered why you weren't coming downstairs, so we went to check on you and found you sound asleep."

"I was exhausted yesterday. I feel like there's a lot of things bugging me…"

"Bugging you? What sort of things?"

"Some personal stuff… It's nothing serious, but it's being a rock in my shoe, honestly."

"Well, if you want to talk about it with someone, I'm free."

"Thanks. I may take up on your offer later. Not today though! I'm going to go to a friend's house this afternoon, by the way."

"Oh, I see. Well, you should have breakfast, otherwise, the food's going to get cold."

"Okay!"

I had my breakfast like usual. After that, I helped my Dad make lunch by doing some assistant work. It would serve both as practice for the cooking contest and retribution for the bike, which I was super thankful for. It really had been helping me when going to school and just hanging out with my friends in general.

While the three of us were having lunch, a bit of a random thought came to my head and I voiced it.

"Last week you had lunch with the previous owners of the house. What did you two talk about?"

"Oh, you're talking about that? Well, it was mostly a friendly meeting. They asked me how life was going and whether we were liking the house. Usual stuff."

"I get it. Still, why did we have to leave?"

"Those two are old yet they're the timidest people I've ever met. They were honestly embarrassed to have lunch with you two around. They didn't mind me though since we worked together some time ago."

"That actually makes sense now. Thanks for answering honestly."

I had thought of it was some sort of suspicious thing, but it ended up being something extremely mundane… I guess I was just paranoid all along.

I glanced at the clock every once in a while to check the time, and as it slowly passed I could sense my anxiety growing, little by little. Whatever Saya had to say couldn't possibly be _that_ bad.

As much as I wanted time to stop, the hands kept on running, and it inevitably became the time for me to leave. I checked the address one last time and got on my bike before riding my way there.

The afternoon breeze, which usually felt pleasantly cool, was chilly and made my body shake coldly.

The time it took to get there was just a little bit more than the time it took to get there by car. Her house was large, one of the biggest houses I'd seen in the whole town yet. It was in a bit of an isolated area. The ground was paved with yellow stones and formed a circle around the house, and on the circumference of the circle was a short fence like the ones used in cutesy gardens.

I left home a bit too early, so when I arrived at her house, it was still five minutes until four. Her house had a place for me to chain my bike so I chained it. At that same time, a woman came out of through the door.

"Good afternoon! Are you Mitsune-chan?"

The woman spoke to me in a cheerful tone, and I replied using a similar tone.

"Yes. I'm Saya's friend."

"I know, I know. She told me all about it. You two have some school homework to take care of, right? I wouldn't want to bother you, so I'm going to leave for a bit. Have fun!"

After saying that, she left without waiting for my response. She got up on a motorcycle and left, leaving behind the noisy sounds of the engine. After hearing the bike's sound, Saya came out.

"Oh, hi! You're already there? Well, come in."

"Thanks."

Her house was big inside. I could see a bunch of rooms, and only on the first floor! I followed her to the dining room, where a big square table was located. On that table was a laptop. There were also some snacks there.

She sat in front of the laptop and I sat beside her.

"Alright. What I want to show you is on this laptop. Before I show you it all, I want you to tell me."

"What is it?"

"What exactly do you know about two years ago?"

"I know about your father. He disappeared one day when he went to work and no one knows what exactly happened to him."

"Okay. Do you know why he disappeared?"

"No. I did hear a rumor, though. He was supposedly investigating a case and the culprits didn't want the truth to be revealed so they 'erased' him."

"I see. That's all the truth. He really was erased by someone."

"How do you know?"

"I'm his daughter. It'd be weird for me _not_ to know about the things happening to my father. Next question: Do you know what the case he was investigating is?"

"No, Hisashi didn't tell me anything about that."

"Alright. Then, I'll tell you." – She opened up a file in her laptop. There were a bunch of names and dates. – "Okay. Read this, please."

"What's this? I don't get it… What do these names mean?"

"Two years ago, there were a series of crimes. Disappearances, to be exact."

"A series of disappearances. Isn't that the same as what's going on right now?"

"Exactly. It's the same. That can't just be a coincidence."

"What does it mean, though?"

"I think whoever was behind the crimes two years ago is also behind the current crimes."

"I can follow that. But who is that person?"

"I don't know. If did, I'd have done something."

"So, if we don't know who it is, what can we do?"

"Not much. However, I'm not just going to leave it in the past. I'm definitely going to find a connection and discover the identity of the culprit. Back to the disappearances two years ago, now. You probably can't tell just from the names, but there is something that all these people have in common. That includes the victims from the recent string of events."

"It's not the age… It can't be the sex and it definitely isn't the names, either."

"That's right. It's none of these. The connection is something a little more abstract. All of the people who vanished didn't have a lot of close friends or family."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"I'm not sure, but it's the truth. None of them had close ties to other people. I think the reason behind that is to not leave a lot of evidence behind."

"How does one thing tie to the other?"

"If you don't have family or friends, you're not going to leave many people worried or upset, and that means that your case is bound to eventually be forgotten."

"I get it. If you don't have close friends and your case is archived, no one is really going to get upset and complain. It's easier to simply erase people that way."

"Alright. So now you understand the circumstances of the case. So, can you theorize why my father would be erased because of a case like that?"

"I can't think of anything… If none of these people had families, who would really go to such extreme lengths?"

"Again, I'm not certain of anything. However, we can reach a certain conclusion through some logical thinking. If none of the victims had close ties, then the one to erase my father would have to be the culprit. In fact, that would make even more sense than the victims' relatives getting angered at the detective of the case."

"That's true."

"Alright, so we have reached a meaningful conclusion. Where else can we take this through some more reasoning?"

"I can think of one thing…"

"I want to hear your thoughts."

"Hisashi told me your father was a high-rank detective. That would mean he'd have some prestige around here. For him to disappear would take someone with even more power than him. That narrows our culprit pool."

"Good. That's exactly it. My father was indeed a famous detective. He even showed up on the news sometimes. It was through his hard work that we built this big house. That's not to ignore my mother's work, of course."

"But… does that conclusion really make sense?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Why would someone with even more power than your father decide to erase him? What would he gain by doing it?"

"Isn't it obvious? That would stifle the progress of the case and prevent the truth from being revealed publicly."

"On one hand, that is possible. However, wouldn't erasing him also serve to bring a lot more unwanted suspicion to the cases as a whole?"

"Hmm… I suppose. Perhaps the person was so powerful that they had other means of guaranteeing the case wouldn't be solved."

"That would require someone with a lot of money…"

"Now that you understand my father's situation from two years ago, I want you to know about what happens after that."

"What is it?"

"My father disappeared around June. It really was around two years ago. My mother and I waited weeks for the case to be solved, or at least for some meaningful clues to arise. But nothing was found. There were no witnesses, no evidence. Unable to figure out the truth, they decided to archive the case and focus their work on more recent cases. My mother and I couldn't leave it at that."

"What did you do then?"

"We knew that the media was our greatest weapon. My mother's older brother was a journalist. She contacted him and told about the case. He then contacted various newspapers and tabloids. They sent journalists to gather info on the case. We took that opportunity and organized a little protest of our own in front of the prefecture and the police station."

"Did you get some sort of result?"

"We did. Not a positive one, though. The protests themselves weren't very big or anything. I think the biggest one had like, thirty people. Around half of them were journalists and the other half were family members and close friends. We did them every day for a week."

"Why did you stop?"

"Well, the first days were pretty nice. Everyone was pumped and we really wanted the truth to come out. After three or four days, though, people were already getting tired. Some journalists had already gone back and some family members were too tired to participate. By the seventh day, it was just me, my mother and my uncle."

"That's too bad… Still, why was that a negative result?"

"The negative part happens now. After the protests died down, the journalists that came here felt like their time was wasted, so instead of just forgetting about it, they decided to write news reports on it. By itself, that would be fine. The real problem was the content. They mocked our town and the police force, claiming we were some country fools. The headlines were things like 'Strange case unsolved due to police incompetence'. It really shone a bad light on the town."

"What happened after that?"

"Well… that's where the story gets a bit depressing. After those news coverages showed up on TV, the townspeople got aware of the awful things outsiders were saying about the people here. They were angry and needed someone to blame for all of this… so they chose to blame me and my mother."

"Blame you? How?"

"They said we were traitors, that we should leave the town and never come back… That's around the same time the rumors of my father and his lover started spreading."

"That's awful…"

"The only friends I had at the time started to distance themselves because of the bad rumors and stories about me."

"So… that's why you don't have many friends."

"That's right. I'm sure Hisashi told you part of the story, but I didn't want you to get the wrong impression and think that I was the evil party in the situation. I guess no one was really at fault…"

"Still... for people to do this to you and even place the blame on you."

"When it happened, I was still a young teenager, so I couldn't control my emotions very well. People treated me badly, and I countered by acting twice as harshly. I know now that my attitude was bad and needlessly combative."

"I can't really hold it against you. You lost your father and people were worried over the town's appearance to outsiders?"

"That's just how people are… Well, that's about it for my little fun story."

"I see… Being told all of this directly by you has really helped put my mind at ease."

"Why?"

"Well, I thought this was some sort of super private trauma of yours, so I was really making sure not to mention it carelessly."

"Oh, I see. Well, you really don't have to walk on eggshells over that. I don't hold some grudge over it or anything. That's what annoys me about Hisashi. He wants to mention it but doesn't have the courage to go through with it. Don't be like that. Just make sure to not spread misinformation and things like that."

"I understand."

"It's still only a bit past five, and I asked Mom to prepare a snack, so if you're hungry, feel free to eat a bit."

"I'll take up on that offer!"

I took a closer look at the snacks on the table. There were crackers along with thin slices of cheese and some cans of soda. I took a slice of cheese and placed it on the cracker and ate it.

"That's pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it. If you want something else, just say it."

"I'm fine with these crackers."

In an oxymoronic way, we had fun eating crackers and drinking soda right after talking about her past. By the time I realized it, it was almost six. Mom would be pretty mad at me if I arrived home too late.

"It's getting pretty late. I really have to get going."

"Oh, you live pretty far, huh? I'll show you the way."

"Thanks."

I already knew the way out, but I accepted her courtesy and left with a farewell.

My bike was still chained to the side of the house. I unchained it using the key and got up on it. I rode it quickly and went home. It was already past six by the time I arrived and I had to listen to one of Mom's long sermons.

* * *

 **July 03** **rd**

Today was a rather boring day. I woke up late again, so I only had time to have breakfast in the morning. It was tasty, though, so I can't really deny that.

My mind was at peace after being given the chance to have a thorough understanding of the town and Saya's past.

It was tragic, but it was part of the past, so reopening the wound really served no purpose. Of course, I comprehend Saya's efforts to discover her father's whereabouts, but I, personally, don't believe that there is any realistic chance of him returning.

Today, the one to prepare the lunch was Mom. I don't really understand why she decided to cook this time, but it apparently had something to do with an argument she had with Dad over her cooking skills. It really was no surprise to anyone that she couldn't cook very well. Subsequently, it was no surprise to anyone that today's lunch was pretty bad compared to Dad's. Still, we had the politeness of eating it and not complaining too much.

In the afternoon, Mom decided to have me clean the house. Her reasoning was that a young adult like me could do it easily, while the two of them were already too old for that. I protested but there was ultimately nothing to be done about it. It took me the whole afternoon to finish, so I didn't have time to enjoy my Sunday. After a few hours of scrubbing, washing, dusting and whatever else Mom decided I had to do, I eventually finished my not-so-thorough cleaning of the house. I felt absolutely pooped so I just took a shower and ate dinner (which was prepared by Dad, since Mom had silently resigned her position as house cook). As soon as my head hit the soft pillow, I couldn't help but fall asleep.


End file.
